The Southern Kings will have the service of their speedster Sergeal Petersen back in their starting line up when they face the Waratahs this coming Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Petersen who missed out on his teams last two games against the Bulls and the Cheetahs due to a groin strain is fit and ready to go.
Petersen will replace Michael Killian, who will return to the Vodacom Cup side to face the Blue Bulls in their quarter final clash in Pretoria on Saturday. Siyanda Grey will keep his spot in the starting XV after making his debut for the Super Rugby side against the Cheetahs last weekend. Luke Watson will again start on the bench as their is no reason to break up the in form loose trio of Jacques Engelbrecht, Wimpie van der Walt and Cornell du Preez.
Lets hope the Kings can continue their dominance over Australian opposition after they recorded their first ever Super Rugby win against the Western Force, an away draw against the table topping Brumbies and their first away win against the Rebels in Melbourne.
Kick off will be at 17:05.
Southern Kings
15.George Whitehead 14 Sergeal Petersen 13 Ronnie Cooke 12 Andries Strauss (C) 11 Siyanda Grey 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Jacques Engelbrecht 7 Wimpie van der Walt 6 Cornell du Preez 5 Rynier Bernado 4 Steven Sykes (VC) 3 Kevin Buys 2 Bandise Maku 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements
16 Virgile Lacombe 17 Grant Kemp 18 David Bulbring 19 Luke Watson 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Waylon Murray 22 Siviwe Soyizwapi
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Monday, 29 April 2013
EP Kings to face Blue Bulls in Vodacom Cup QF
The EP Kings will advance to the quarter finals of this years Vodacom Cup after beating Boland this past weekend. The Kings were trailing 8 - 13 at halftime, but 3 second half tries were enough to see the Kings to a 27 - 23 victory and a quarter final playoff against the Bulls in Pretoria this weekend.
Vodacom Cup Head Coach, David Maidza said the team were lucky to have come home with five points, following a fairly lacklustre performance at the Wesbank Stadium in Malmsbury on the weekend.
“I am very glad we were able to secure the five points, to secure a quarter final, but I was not happy with the overall performance of the team, it was not their best performance,” he said.
Maidza said the team had done well on defence, which had played a critical role in them coming back from behind in the second half.
“Our play will ball in hand, however, was erratic at times, and we weren’t nearly as dangerous on attack as we could have been,” he said.
Maidza said the team knew they would have their work cut out for them against the Blue Bulls in the quarter finals.
“When you go up against the Blue bulls you know you are going to be playing a competent team, it is always going to be a challenge as they are a very strong outfit,” he said.
“We know how they play and we will prepare accordingly over the week and will need to tidy up in a number of areas ahead of the game,” he said.
After drawing their opener against the Pampas XV, 20 all, they managed their first win against Border 30 - 22. In their 3rd game they lost horribly to Western Province, 43 - 18, but turned their campaign around with 4 straight wins. The fist one was a 17 - 13 against Free State XV in Bloem followed by a 52 - 10 win against SWD in PE, a 27 - 23 win against the Sharks VX in PE and a 27 - 23 bonus point win against Boland in Malmesbury.
The other teams qualifying for the quarter finals are the Sharks and Lions, Pumas and Pampas, Western Province and Griquas.
Scorers:
Regent Boland Cavaliers – Tries: Senan van der Merwe, Ashton Constant ; Conversions: Jacquin Jasen (2); Penalties: Jacquin Jasen (3)
Eastern Province Kings – Tries: Paul Schoeman; Stefan Willemse, Kyle van Zyl, Devon Oosthuizen Conversions: Kyle van Zyl (2); Penalties: Scott van Breda (1)
Vodacom Cup Head Coach, David Maidza said the team were lucky to have come home with five points, following a fairly lacklustre performance at the Wesbank Stadium in Malmsbury on the weekend.
“I am very glad we were able to secure the five points, to secure a quarter final, but I was not happy with the overall performance of the team, it was not their best performance,” he said.
Maidza said the team had done well on defence, which had played a critical role in them coming back from behind in the second half.
“Our play will ball in hand, however, was erratic at times, and we weren’t nearly as dangerous on attack as we could have been,” he said.
Maidza said the team knew they would have their work cut out for them against the Blue Bulls in the quarter finals.
“When you go up against the Blue bulls you know you are going to be playing a competent team, it is always going to be a challenge as they are a very strong outfit,” he said.
“We know how they play and we will prepare accordingly over the week and will need to tidy up in a number of areas ahead of the game,” he said.
After drawing their opener against the Pampas XV, 20 all, they managed their first win against Border 30 - 22. In their 3rd game they lost horribly to Western Province, 43 - 18, but turned their campaign around with 4 straight wins. The fist one was a 17 - 13 against Free State XV in Bloem followed by a 52 - 10 win against SWD in PE, a 27 - 23 win against the Sharks VX in PE and a 27 - 23 bonus point win against Boland in Malmesbury.
The other teams qualifying for the quarter finals are the Sharks and Lions, Pumas and Pampas, Western Province and Griquas.
Scorers:
Regent Boland Cavaliers – Tries: Senan van der Merwe, Ashton Constant ; Conversions: Jacquin Jasen (2); Penalties: Jacquin Jasen (3)
Eastern Province Kings – Tries: Paul Schoeman; Stefan Willemse, Kyle van Zyl, Devon Oosthuizen Conversions: Kyle van Zyl (2); Penalties: Scott van Breda (1)
Sunday, 28 April 2013
No bonus points in Bloem
The scoreboard tells a different story but the Southern Kings had the upper hand in some areas in the game against the Cheetahs on Saturday evening. The Kings might have lost the game but they are much happier with their performance compared to last weekend against the Bulls.
Director of Rugby, Alan Solomons said the team had showed great improvement on their poor performance the week before against the Vodacom Bulls, attributed to travel fatigue following the team’s first Australasian tour.
“Not to take anything away from the Bulls, who probably put on their best performance to date against the Kings last week, but the players definitely did not play like they usually did in that game,” he said.
The Kings went down 12 - 26 after trailing 9 - 15 at half time and will return to Port Elizabeth with no points from the game, but there are a few positives they should build on before taking on the Waratahs in their next home game.
For the Kings Jacques Engelbrecht gained 80 meters from his 13 runs. Engelbrecht also hit 12 rucks/mauls and forced one turn over. Wimpie van der Walt added his weight to 11 rucks/mauls and made the second most tackles in the game, 15, Heindrich Brussow made 18.
The Kings enjoyed 56% of the territory and spend 6:05 minutes in Cheetahs 22 compared to their 5:22 minutes spend in Kings 22, but could only manage to kick 4 penalties. The Kings also forced the Cheetahs to make more tackles, 165 (88%), to their 111 (82%).
Solomons said that there is no comparison between this game and the game we played last week (against the Bulls), we held onto the ball, had much better possession and territory and were unfortunate to come away with the result that we did.
"There had been a few lapses in concentration, which had resulted in two tries being scored in the first half, that could have been avoided."
“The first try came from deep within the Cheetah’s territory, while the second was due to a defensive lapse,” he said.
“We also have to work on converting territory and possession into points; we need to be more composed in the opposition’s 22,” said Solomons.
There are also no casualties from the game which means the Kings could send their strongest possible team out when they face the Waratahs this coming Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Director of Rugby, Alan Solomons said the team had showed great improvement on their poor performance the week before against the Vodacom Bulls, attributed to travel fatigue following the team’s first Australasian tour.
“Not to take anything away from the Bulls, who probably put on their best performance to date against the Kings last week, but the players definitely did not play like they usually did in that game,” he said.
The Kings went down 12 - 26 after trailing 9 - 15 at half time and will return to Port Elizabeth with no points from the game, but there are a few positives they should build on before taking on the Waratahs in their next home game.
For the Kings Jacques Engelbrecht gained 80 meters from his 13 runs. Engelbrecht also hit 12 rucks/mauls and forced one turn over. Wimpie van der Walt added his weight to 11 rucks/mauls and made the second most tackles in the game, 15, Heindrich Brussow made 18.
The Kings enjoyed 56% of the territory and spend 6:05 minutes in Cheetahs 22 compared to their 5:22 minutes spend in Kings 22, but could only manage to kick 4 penalties. The Kings also forced the Cheetahs to make more tackles, 165 (88%), to their 111 (82%).
Solomons said that there is no comparison between this game and the game we played last week (against the Bulls), we held onto the ball, had much better possession and territory and were unfortunate to come away with the result that we did.
"There had been a few lapses in concentration, which had resulted in two tries being scored in the first half, that could have been avoided."
“The first try came from deep within the Cheetah’s territory, while the second was due to a defensive lapse,” he said.
“We also have to work on converting territory and possession into points; we need to be more composed in the opposition’s 22,” said Solomons.
There are also no casualties from the game which means the Kings could send their strongest possible team out when they face the Waratahs this coming Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Sergeal included in the SA u20 squad
Many said he is too young for Super Rugby when the Kings offered him a contract last year while still finishing high school, but Sergeal Petersen quickly became a fan favourite after scoring two tries on debut against the Western Force.
He played for Eastern Province at all youth levels, representing them at the 2007 Under-13 Craven Week, the 2010 Under-16 Grant Khomo Week where he scored three tries in three games and in the 2012 Under-18 Craven Week scoring four tries in three games. The latter performance earned him inclusion in the S.A. Schools team that played against France, Wales and England in August 2012.
Full name: Sergeal Peterson
Date of birth: 1 August 1994 (Humansdorp)
Height: 1.71m
Weight: 82kg
School: Grey High School PE
Position: Wing
Petersen has scored 3 tries in 7 appearances for the Southern Kings thus far in the competition, but a groin strain has kept him out of the game against the Bulls and the coaching staff also decided not to risk him when they face the Cheetahs this coming weekend.
Petersen has been rewarded for his good play in Super Rugby with a call up to the South Africa u20 squad to compete in the IRB Junior World Cup in France in June. Another Eastern Province player that will join Petersen is Aidon Davis. Davis who matriculated at HTS Daniel Pienaar is currently playing flank for the EP Kings in the Vodacom Cup. Davis stands 1.9 meters tall and weights in at 100kg's.
“Both of these players have come through the ranks and excelled at Craven Week last year, where Aidon captained the side and Sergeal was one of the stars of the tournament,” said Cheeky Watson
“Their selection is a testament to the growing rugby talent in the region and I’m sure they will do us proud in the upcoming tournament”
He played for Eastern Province at all youth levels, representing them at the 2007 Under-13 Craven Week, the 2010 Under-16 Grant Khomo Week where he scored three tries in three games and in the 2012 Under-18 Craven Week scoring four tries in three games. The latter performance earned him inclusion in the S.A. Schools team that played against France, Wales and England in August 2012.
Full name: Sergeal Peterson
Date of birth: 1 August 1994 (Humansdorp)
Height: 1.71m
Weight: 82kg
School: Grey High School PE
Position: Wing
Petersen has scored 3 tries in 7 appearances for the Southern Kings thus far in the competition, but a groin strain has kept him out of the game against the Bulls and the coaching staff also decided not to risk him when they face the Cheetahs this coming weekend.
Petersen has been rewarded for his good play in Super Rugby with a call up to the South Africa u20 squad to compete in the IRB Junior World Cup in France in June. Another Eastern Province player that will join Petersen is Aidon Davis. Davis who matriculated at HTS Daniel Pienaar is currently playing flank for the EP Kings in the Vodacom Cup. Davis stands 1.9 meters tall and weights in at 100kg's.
“Both of these players have come through the ranks and excelled at Craven Week last year, where Aidon captained the side and Sergeal was one of the stars of the tournament,” said Cheeky Watson
“Their selection is a testament to the growing rugby talent in the region and I’m sure they will do us proud in the upcoming tournament”
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Tough week ahead for the Kings
The Bulls showed their class and experience when they played the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth this past weekend. The Bulls scored 4 unanswered tries to bag 5 log points and move to the top of the South African Conference, one point ahead of the Cheetahs and Sharks.
The Bulls scored 2 first half tries down the left hand touch line. The first one came through man of the match Jan Serfontein and the second through Jano Vermaak. Both tries were converted by Morne Steyn and he also added 2 penalty kicks, half time score 20 - 0.
The Kings started the second half much better and were playing more in the Bulls half of the field, but even with 51% possession and 52% territory in the second half the Kings were still unable to cross the Bulls try line.
The Bulls also managed to score two late tries in the second half as the game opened up and the Bulls started to find the gaps in the Kings defense. Jacques Potgieter once the beloved son of EP rugby scored the Bulls 3rd try in the 76th minute and the bonus point try came through Akona Ndungane on the full time hooter, final score 34 - 0.
Many would ask the question why Luke Watson was preferred ahead of Jacques Engelbrecht who was outstanding in Watson's absence. Watson who made his return to Super Rugby against the Bulls after injury kept him out for a few weeks looked a bit off the pace and though he tried to pull his weight nothing went his way on the night.
Speaking after the game Luke said they were not in the game, the Bulls were in top form, very accurate and very clinical in everything they did.
"They took us out of the game and we never rocked up, so it was a disappointing evening for us."
The Kings made a few changes to their team ahead of Saturdays match against the Cheetahs in Bloem. Captaincy went back to Andries Strauss to leading the Kings out against his old team mates.
They have also decided to move Watson to the bench and bring Engelbrecht back to the starting line up.
The Kings will also face the Cheetahs without Sergeal Petersen. Solomons said Petersen was not up for selection after continuing concerns over the groin strain he had sustained last week during training, despite initial indications that he was eligible for selection.
“Sergeal’s groin is still not 100% and on discussing it with the medical staff, we feel that it would not be worth risking.”
“He is a young guy, an athlete and wing. If he tears the groin muscle, it could not only affect his playing this season, but his career going forward. He is a young 18-year-old who has a marvelous career ahead of him and we feel that to be cautious at this point in time is the right thing for him.”
With Petersen unavailable it gives an opportunity to Siyanda Grey who has recovered from an injury he picked up last season, to make his debut at Super Rugby level. Another player who will be making his first Super Rugby appearance in a Southern Kings jersey is Michael Killian. Marcello Sampson falls out of the match day 22.
“Marcello has been involved in most of the games to date, Michael comes back from injury and we have done a rotation there, as it is important that we have strength in depth. One must also remember that we have now played seven games back to back, including four on tour, and the effects of that are being felt,” Solomons said.
Ronnie Cooke will also move back to centre while Waylon Murray moves to the bench. Among the forwards Rynier Bernardo would start while David Bulbring moved to the bench, and Jacques “Vleis” Engelbrecht would start at number eight in Watson’s place.
Virgile Lacombe has also been named on the bench, having recovered from his rib injury and having come off a strong showing in the second half of the Vodacom Cup game against the Sharks XV this past weekend.
Southern Kings team to face the Cheetahs:
15 George Whitehead 14 Siyanda Grey 13 Ronnie Cooke 12 Andries Strauss (C) 11 Micheal Killian 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Jacques Engelbrecht 7 Wimpier van der Walt 6 Cornell du Preez 5 Rynier Bernado 4 Steven Sykes (VC) 3 Kevin Buys 2 Bandise Maku 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements:
16 Virgile Lacombe 17 Grant Kemp 18 David Bulbring 19 Luke Watson 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Waylon Murray 22 Siviwe Soyizwapi
The Bulls scored 2 first half tries down the left hand touch line. The first one came through man of the match Jan Serfontein and the second through Jano Vermaak. Both tries were converted by Morne Steyn and he also added 2 penalty kicks, half time score 20 - 0.
The Kings started the second half much better and were playing more in the Bulls half of the field, but even with 51% possession and 52% territory in the second half the Kings were still unable to cross the Bulls try line.
The Bulls also managed to score two late tries in the second half as the game opened up and the Bulls started to find the gaps in the Kings defense. Jacques Potgieter once the beloved son of EP rugby scored the Bulls 3rd try in the 76th minute and the bonus point try came through Akona Ndungane on the full time hooter, final score 34 - 0.
Many would ask the question why Luke Watson was preferred ahead of Jacques Engelbrecht who was outstanding in Watson's absence. Watson who made his return to Super Rugby against the Bulls after injury kept him out for a few weeks looked a bit off the pace and though he tried to pull his weight nothing went his way on the night.
Speaking after the game Luke said they were not in the game, the Bulls were in top form, very accurate and very clinical in everything they did.
"They took us out of the game and we never rocked up, so it was a disappointing evening for us."
The Kings made a few changes to their team ahead of Saturdays match against the Cheetahs in Bloem. Captaincy went back to Andries Strauss to leading the Kings out against his old team mates.
They have also decided to move Watson to the bench and bring Engelbrecht back to the starting line up.
The Kings will also face the Cheetahs without Sergeal Petersen. Solomons said Petersen was not up for selection after continuing concerns over the groin strain he had sustained last week during training, despite initial indications that he was eligible for selection.
“Sergeal’s groin is still not 100% and on discussing it with the medical staff, we feel that it would not be worth risking.”
“He is a young guy, an athlete and wing. If he tears the groin muscle, it could not only affect his playing this season, but his career going forward. He is a young 18-year-old who has a marvelous career ahead of him and we feel that to be cautious at this point in time is the right thing for him.”
With Petersen unavailable it gives an opportunity to Siyanda Grey who has recovered from an injury he picked up last season, to make his debut at Super Rugby level. Another player who will be making his first Super Rugby appearance in a Southern Kings jersey is Michael Killian. Marcello Sampson falls out of the match day 22.
“Marcello has been involved in most of the games to date, Michael comes back from injury and we have done a rotation there, as it is important that we have strength in depth. One must also remember that we have now played seven games back to back, including four on tour, and the effects of that are being felt,” Solomons said.
Ronnie Cooke will also move back to centre while Waylon Murray moves to the bench. Among the forwards Rynier Bernardo would start while David Bulbring moved to the bench, and Jacques “Vleis” Engelbrecht would start at number eight in Watson’s place.
Virgile Lacombe has also been named on the bench, having recovered from his rib injury and having come off a strong showing in the second half of the Vodacom Cup game against the Sharks XV this past weekend.
Southern Kings team to face the Cheetahs:
15 George Whitehead 14 Siyanda Grey 13 Ronnie Cooke 12 Andries Strauss (C) 11 Micheal Killian 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Jacques Engelbrecht 7 Wimpier van der Walt 6 Cornell du Preez 5 Rynier Bernado 4 Steven Sykes (VC) 3 Kevin Buys 2 Bandise Maku 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements:
16 Virgile Lacombe 17 Grant Kemp 18 David Bulbring 19 Luke Watson 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Waylon Murray 22 Siviwe Soyizwapi
Friday, 19 April 2013
Scott van Breda gets his chance
We had some bad news come out of the Kings camp yesterday, “the darling of PE rugby” as he’s become affectionately known in the Kings circles will miss Saturday’s clash with the Bulls at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The 18 year old Sergeal Petersen sat out training today with a muscle strain and on further assessment it was decided to withdraw him from the team for Saturday’s clash.
Marcello Sampson comes off the bench and will wear the no.14 jersey. The no.21 jersey vacated by Sampson will be worn by Scott van Breda who will also be on debut for the Southern Kings.
Scott van Breda will be the 4th player to represent the Southern Kings having come through the Academy. The 21 year old Scott van Breda spent most of his high school years at Rondebosch Boys’ High School in Cape Town. He moved to Kingswood College in 2010 where he was part of a very good Kingswood 1st XV. A star in the junior ranks, he’s comfortable at fullback or outside centre and has on the odd occasion been deployed on the wing.
A reliable fullback with a good tactical kicking game and solid under the high ball, his awareness of space make him a danger when attacking the line, strong on his feet, it allows the supporting players and in particular the outside backs to run off him. One of the better playmakers you’ll see at centre these days.
He’s a deadly accurate goal kicker and he has done most of the goal kicking in the EP Junior ranks and more recently in the Vodacom Cup. He’s got a good temperament, already capped at senior level for the EP Kings both at Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup level, Scott is a well-balanced young player who I have no doubt will take this opportunity with both hands.
Congratulations to Scott on the call up to the Super Rugby side, a reward to a player who’s earned his shot at this level through consistently good performances. We wish him all the best for Saturday. Once more we must commend what the Academy does in producing these young player, well done to Robbie Kempson and the Academy staff for producing yet another future star of the Kings.
Ludumo Nkabi
The 18 year old Sergeal Petersen sat out training today with a muscle strain and on further assessment it was decided to withdraw him from the team for Saturday’s clash.
Marcello Sampson comes off the bench and will wear the no.14 jersey. The no.21 jersey vacated by Sampson will be worn by Scott van Breda who will also be on debut for the Southern Kings.
Scott van Breda will be the 4th player to represent the Southern Kings having come through the Academy. The 21 year old Scott van Breda spent most of his high school years at Rondebosch Boys’ High School in Cape Town. He moved to Kingswood College in 2010 where he was part of a very good Kingswood 1st XV. A star in the junior ranks, he’s comfortable at fullback or outside centre and has on the odd occasion been deployed on the wing.
A reliable fullback with a good tactical kicking game and solid under the high ball, his awareness of space make him a danger when attacking the line, strong on his feet, it allows the supporting players and in particular the outside backs to run off him. One of the better playmakers you’ll see at centre these days.
He’s a deadly accurate goal kicker and he has done most of the goal kicking in the EP Junior ranks and more recently in the Vodacom Cup. He’s got a good temperament, already capped at senior level for the EP Kings both at Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup level, Scott is a well-balanced young player who I have no doubt will take this opportunity with both hands.
Congratulations to Scott on the call up to the Super Rugby side, a reward to a player who’s earned his shot at this level through consistently good performances. We wish him all the best for Saturday. Once more we must commend what the Academy does in producing these young player, well done to Robbie Kempson and the Academy staff for producing yet another future star of the Kings.
Ludumo Nkabi
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Southern Kings to face Bulls
The Southern Kings will return to their Kingdom, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, when they face the Bulls from Pretoria this coming Saturday. It will be the first time that these two sides will face each other in a Super Rugby format.
Both teams will enter this match with a win behind their name. The Bulls recorded a 26 - 20 win over the Cheetahs at Loftus and the Kings a memorable 30 - 27, in their first away win over the Melbourne Rebels in Australia.
The Kings will enter this game with a lot of confidence after a successful tour abroad, managing a draw against log leaders the Brumbies a win against the Rebels and bringing 7 log points back from 4 games. They also have their inspirational captain Luke Watson back to lead the team onto the field on Saturday.
The match against the 3 times Super Rugby champions will by no means be an easy one for the Kings. One can expect a tough battle upfront and the always accurate boot of Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn to get the scoreboard ticking. The Kings also have some pretty solid house hold names that will be ready for the Bulls onslaught, namely Schalk Ferreira, Wimpie van der Walt, Cornell du Preez, Rynier Bernardo, Jacques Engelbrecht, guys that have shown us these last couple of weeks they are here to play rugby. And if that is not enough they still have the likes of Bandise Maku, Steven Sykes, David Bulbring and their captain Watson.
Teams have showed in the past that the Bulls struggle if they are physically matched upfront and their flyhalf is putt under pressure. My prediction is, its going to be a typical South African derby with a potential 7 to 15 points difference. The Bulls fans will come out in numbers to support their adopted team, but be assured that the Kings Army will let their voice be heard come Saturday evening.
Southern Kings:
15 George Whitehead 14 Sergeal Petersen 13 Waylon Murray 12 Andries Strauss (VC) 11 Ronnie Cooke 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Luke Watson (C) 7 Wimpie van der Walt 6 Cornell du Preez 5 David Bulbring 4 Steven Sykes 3 Kevin Buys 2 Bandise Maku 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements:
16 Hannes Franklin 17 Grant Kemp 18 Rynier Bernardo 19 Jacques Engelbrecht 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Marcello Sampson 22 Siviwe Soyizwapi
Both teams will enter this match with a win behind their name. The Bulls recorded a 26 - 20 win over the Cheetahs at Loftus and the Kings a memorable 30 - 27, in their first away win over the Melbourne Rebels in Australia.
The Kings will enter this game with a lot of confidence after a successful tour abroad, managing a draw against log leaders the Brumbies a win against the Rebels and bringing 7 log points back from 4 games. They also have their inspirational captain Luke Watson back to lead the team onto the field on Saturday.
The match against the 3 times Super Rugby champions will by no means be an easy one for the Kings. One can expect a tough battle upfront and the always accurate boot of Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn to get the scoreboard ticking. The Kings also have some pretty solid house hold names that will be ready for the Bulls onslaught, namely Schalk Ferreira, Wimpie van der Walt, Cornell du Preez, Rynier Bernardo, Jacques Engelbrecht, guys that have shown us these last couple of weeks they are here to play rugby. And if that is not enough they still have the likes of Bandise Maku, Steven Sykes, David Bulbring and their captain Watson.
Teams have showed in the past that the Bulls struggle if they are physically matched upfront and their flyhalf is putt under pressure. My prediction is, its going to be a typical South African derby with a potential 7 to 15 points difference. The Bulls fans will come out in numbers to support their adopted team, but be assured that the Kings Army will let their voice be heard come Saturday evening.
Southern Kings:
15 George Whitehead 14 Sergeal Petersen 13 Waylon Murray 12 Andries Strauss (VC) 11 Ronnie Cooke 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Luke Watson (C) 7 Wimpie van der Walt 6 Cornell du Preez 5 David Bulbring 4 Steven Sykes 3 Kevin Buys 2 Bandise Maku 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements:
16 Hannes Franklin 17 Grant Kemp 18 Rynier Bernardo 19 Jacques Engelbrecht 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Marcello Sampson 22 Siviwe Soyizwapi
Monday, 15 April 2013
Good tour turned into a fantastic tour
The Southern Kings played their last tour game against the Melbourne Rebels from Australia. The confidence were high in the Kings camp after a 4 try 28 all draw the previous week against the over all table topping Brumbies.
The Rebels could have been a game the Kings targeted to win on their first over seas tour, and it probably looked more like a reality after what they have managed a week prior. The views about the Kings went from not winning a single game to most South Africans backing the team from the Eastern Cape to beat the Rebels. And there was some excitement around the game after the way the Kings have been improving week after week.
Ronnie Cooke opened the scoring for the Kings after just 8 minutes of play. The second try was a brilliant break by Shaun Venter from the half way line and the Kings were up 14 - 0 after just 14 minutes. The players must have felt that a bonus point win will be on the cards, but the Rebels scored two tries of their own and the 1st half ended 17 all.
The second half started with level scores and everything to play for, a win after a long tour would be the best reward and would make the long journey back home so much more enjoyable. The Kings some how lost a bit of concentration at the start of the second half and before they realised the Rebels had a comfortable 27 - 17 lead.
Wimpie van der Walt scored the teams third and equalising try in the 77th minute. After receiving the ball from kick off the Kings took it up a few meters, then Demetri Catrakilis did the unthinkable of kicking away the possession, it actually ended up the best thing he could have done to get his team back in Rebels territory. The Kings pilled on the pressure and got the ball back, Catrakilis found himself in a great position to steal 3 points through a drop goal which led to his teams first victory away from home, 30 - 27.
Matt Sexton, head coach, said after the game, “Of course we’re exceptionally happy with the four log points, and the overall result, but we battled in the middle of the game,”
Sexton said he felt the team had not played to their full potential, and continued to give away too many penalties.
“The problem is that we perhaps had too much of a good start and the guys took their foot off the gas and relaxed a little, which allowed the momentum to sway in the Rebels favour,” he said.
“We have got to learn to keep the pressure on, but this is also a learning curve for us and this was another lesson learnt,” he said.
Director or Rugby, Alan Solomons, echoed Sexton’s assessment of the game, saying the players had a much better second half.
“We lost momentum and eased off after the first ten minutes or so, and our exiting our own half was poor, we gave away too many penalties which meant we made work for ourselves,” he said.
Solomons said that while the team had not played particularly well, the win once again showed the determination and character of the squad.
“A win when you’re not playing well, that says a lot about the team,” he said.
Solomons said he was very happy with the drop goal at the end.
“We knew Demetri could do it, he’s done it before at Currie cup and Vodacom Cup level, and he has a wonderful temperament under pressure,” he said.
“Before this it was already a good tour, but the win has turned this into a fantastic tour,” he said.
Scorers:
Rebels – Tries: Ged Robinson, Angus Roberts, Mitch Inman. Conversions: James O`Connor (3). Penalties: O`Connor (2)
Southern Kings– Penalty: Ronnie Cooke, Shaun Venter, Wimpie van der Walt. Conversion: Demetri Catrakilis (3). Drop goal: Catrakilis Penalties: Catrakilis (2)
The Rebels could have been a game the Kings targeted to win on their first over seas tour, and it probably looked more like a reality after what they have managed a week prior. The views about the Kings went from not winning a single game to most South Africans backing the team from the Eastern Cape to beat the Rebels. And there was some excitement around the game after the way the Kings have been improving week after week.
Ronnie Cooke opened the scoring for the Kings after just 8 minutes of play. The second try was a brilliant break by Shaun Venter from the half way line and the Kings were up 14 - 0 after just 14 minutes. The players must have felt that a bonus point win will be on the cards, but the Rebels scored two tries of their own and the 1st half ended 17 all.
The second half started with level scores and everything to play for, a win after a long tour would be the best reward and would make the long journey back home so much more enjoyable. The Kings some how lost a bit of concentration at the start of the second half and before they realised the Rebels had a comfortable 27 - 17 lead.
Wimpie van der Walt scored the teams third and equalising try in the 77th minute. After receiving the ball from kick off the Kings took it up a few meters, then Demetri Catrakilis did the unthinkable of kicking away the possession, it actually ended up the best thing he could have done to get his team back in Rebels territory. The Kings pilled on the pressure and got the ball back, Catrakilis found himself in a great position to steal 3 points through a drop goal which led to his teams first victory away from home, 30 - 27.
Matt Sexton, head coach, said after the game, “Of course we’re exceptionally happy with the four log points, and the overall result, but we battled in the middle of the game,”
Sexton said he felt the team had not played to their full potential, and continued to give away too many penalties.
“The problem is that we perhaps had too much of a good start and the guys took their foot off the gas and relaxed a little, which allowed the momentum to sway in the Rebels favour,” he said.
“We have got to learn to keep the pressure on, but this is also a learning curve for us and this was another lesson learnt,” he said.
Director or Rugby, Alan Solomons, echoed Sexton’s assessment of the game, saying the players had a much better second half.
“We lost momentum and eased off after the first ten minutes or so, and our exiting our own half was poor, we gave away too many penalties which meant we made work for ourselves,” he said.
Solomons said that while the team had not played particularly well, the win once again showed the determination and character of the squad.
“A win when you’re not playing well, that says a lot about the team,” he said.
Solomons said he was very happy with the drop goal at the end.
“We knew Demetri could do it, he’s done it before at Currie cup and Vodacom Cup level, and he has a wonderful temperament under pressure,” he said.
“Before this it was already a good tour, but the win has turned this into a fantastic tour,” he said.
Scorers:
Rebels – Tries: Ged Robinson, Angus Roberts, Mitch Inman. Conversions: James O`Connor (3). Penalties: O`Connor (2)
Southern Kings– Penalty: Ronnie Cooke, Shaun Venter, Wimpie van der Walt. Conversion: Demetri Catrakilis (3). Drop goal: Catrakilis Penalties: Catrakilis (2)
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Kings to battle Rebels
The Southern Kings will have one final tour match against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday before returning to South Africa for the remainder of their Super Rugby campaign.
The Kings have silenced a lot of their critics or to put it bluntly, haters, when they drew against the log leaders Brumbies a week ago. The Kings outscored the Brumbies 4 tries to 2 and received 3 log points, 1 bonus points for their 4 tries and 2 for the draw.
Before the Kings went on tour they had a good run of home games, winning their opener against the Western Force and two close games against last years runners up the Sharks and defending champions the Chiefs. The results from their home games could have given them some confidence for the somewhat unknown for a team that is hungry to play rugby and to show the rest of the rugby public they deserve to be in this competition.
The tour would either have been one to crush their spirits or draw the team closer as a unite when they do battle in the unknown. The Kings spirits are however not crushed and they can go into their last match with confidence and even backing themselves for their first away win after conquering the unknown in some way but definitely standing stronger as a unite from when they left the comforts of their home ground and their passionate Kings Army.
The Kings are growing week by week, they came into this competition as a strong defensive team and many will know that defensive can only carry you for so long. The coaches kept on saying they must keep more possession and do more with the ball in hand. In the last 3 games we have seen more of the Kings attacking play, even though they received a hiding from 7 times Super Rugby Champions the Crusaders they did manage to score 2 tries. Its more in the last two games where we have seen what they can do with good ball. They came close to scoring 4 tries against the Hurricanes two weeks ago and pulled off a draw against the Brumbies last week by scoring 4 tries.
Captain Andries Strauss said: “There were a few crucial areas that we still need to work on, such as being aware of the space on the field, limiting the opponent’s space and getting used to the levels of pressure on the field, but these are things we can only learn on the field, through experience,”
“For many of the players this has been their first tour, and they have gained a lot of new experiences through the tour, both on and off the field,” he said.
Looking at the game this weekend he said: “The Rebels have come back very strong against the Western Force last week. Many people have written them off after they took a hiding in the game against the Sharks, but they are not to be underestimated,”
The Kings have a wonder opportunity to take the ultimate reward for a tour that could easily be labeled as one of character, guts, determination, courage and a never say die attitude.
Some might tip the Kings as being favourites going into their last game, but im sure Alan Solomons and his team would not mind keeping the underdog tag for this game.
Kickoff will be at 11:40 (SA time)
Southern Kings:
15 George Whitehead 14 Sergeal Petersen 13 Waylon Murray 12 Andries Strauss (c) 11 Ronnie Cooke 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Cornell du Preez 7 Wimpie van der Walt 6 Devin Oosthuizen 5 Rynier Bernardo 4 Steven Sykes (vc) 3 Grant Kemp 2 Hannes Franklin 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements:
16 Bandise Maku 17 Kevin Buys 18 David Bulbring 19 Jacques Engelbrecht 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Marcello Sampson 22 Siviwe Soyzwapi
The Kings have silenced a lot of their critics or to put it bluntly, haters, when they drew against the log leaders Brumbies a week ago. The Kings outscored the Brumbies 4 tries to 2 and received 3 log points, 1 bonus points for their 4 tries and 2 for the draw.
Before the Kings went on tour they had a good run of home games, winning their opener against the Western Force and two close games against last years runners up the Sharks and defending champions the Chiefs. The results from their home games could have given them some confidence for the somewhat unknown for a team that is hungry to play rugby and to show the rest of the rugby public they deserve to be in this competition.
The tour would either have been one to crush their spirits or draw the team closer as a unite when they do battle in the unknown. The Kings spirits are however not crushed and they can go into their last match with confidence and even backing themselves for their first away win after conquering the unknown in some way but definitely standing stronger as a unite from when they left the comforts of their home ground and their passionate Kings Army.
The Kings are growing week by week, they came into this competition as a strong defensive team and many will know that defensive can only carry you for so long. The coaches kept on saying they must keep more possession and do more with the ball in hand. In the last 3 games we have seen more of the Kings attacking play, even though they received a hiding from 7 times Super Rugby Champions the Crusaders they did manage to score 2 tries. Its more in the last two games where we have seen what they can do with good ball. They came close to scoring 4 tries against the Hurricanes two weeks ago and pulled off a draw against the Brumbies last week by scoring 4 tries.
Captain Andries Strauss said: “There were a few crucial areas that we still need to work on, such as being aware of the space on the field, limiting the opponent’s space and getting used to the levels of pressure on the field, but these are things we can only learn on the field, through experience,”
“For many of the players this has been their first tour, and they have gained a lot of new experiences through the tour, both on and off the field,” he said.
Looking at the game this weekend he said: “The Rebels have come back very strong against the Western Force last week. Many people have written them off after they took a hiding in the game against the Sharks, but they are not to be underestimated,”
The Kings have a wonder opportunity to take the ultimate reward for a tour that could easily be labeled as one of character, guts, determination, courage and a never say die attitude.
Some might tip the Kings as being favourites going into their last game, but im sure Alan Solomons and his team would not mind keeping the underdog tag for this game.
Kickoff will be at 11:40 (SA time)
Southern Kings:
15 George Whitehead 14 Sergeal Petersen 13 Waylon Murray 12 Andries Strauss (c) 11 Ronnie Cooke 10 Demetri Catrakilis 9 Shaun Venter 8 Cornell du Preez 7 Wimpie van der Walt 6 Devin Oosthuizen 5 Rynier Bernardo 4 Steven Sykes (vc) 3 Grant Kemp 2 Hannes Franklin 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements:
16 Bandise Maku 17 Kevin Buys 18 David Bulbring 19 Jacques Engelbrecht 20 Nicolas Vergallo 21 Marcello Sampson 22 Siviwe Soyzwapi
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Watson making a welcoming return
Luke Watson will make a welcoming return to the playing field after a knock to the throat sidelined him in the Southern Kings first Super Rugby match against the Western Force in February. Watson left the field half way through the first half and has been out of action since, missing out on their over seas leg in their debut season.
Another player thats been sidelined with Watson is Darron Nell. Nell pulled out minutes before the kick off in the game against the Chiefs, when he sprained a muscle during warmup.
Both Watson and Nell will start for the EP Kings Vodacom Cup side against the SWD Eagles on Friday. Another player returning after missing last weeks win against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein is Mpho Mbiyozo. Mbiyozo will also captain the side.
David Maidza, Vodacom Cup side Head coach, said it’s a great opportunity for them (Watson and Nell) to get some game time before the senior side comes back.
The Eastern Province Kings Vodacom Cup team that will take on the SWD Eagles at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s B field at 3pm on Friday.
15 Scott van Breda 14 Siyanda Grey 13 Wayne Stevens (V/C) 12 Siyabonga Mangweni 11 Yamkela Ngam 10 Shane Gates 9 Scott Mathie 8 Luke Watson 7 Mpho Mbiyozo (C) 6 Paul Schoeman 5 Samora Fihlani 4 Darron Nell 3 Ross Geldenhuys 2 Boetie Britz 1 Leo Gqoboka
Replacements
16 Dane van der Westhuizen 17 Brendan Olivier 18 Stefan Willemse 19 Dalton Davis 20 Kayle van Zyl 21 Ntabeni Dukisa 22 Andile Jho
Another player thats been sidelined with Watson is Darron Nell. Nell pulled out minutes before the kick off in the game against the Chiefs, when he sprained a muscle during warmup.
Both Watson and Nell will start for the EP Kings Vodacom Cup side against the SWD Eagles on Friday. Another player returning after missing last weeks win against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein is Mpho Mbiyozo. Mbiyozo will also captain the side.
David Maidza, Vodacom Cup side Head coach, said it’s a great opportunity for them (Watson and Nell) to get some game time before the senior side comes back.
The Eastern Province Kings Vodacom Cup team that will take on the SWD Eagles at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s B field at 3pm on Friday.
15 Scott van Breda 14 Siyanda Grey 13 Wayne Stevens (V/C) 12 Siyabonga Mangweni 11 Yamkela Ngam 10 Shane Gates 9 Scott Mathie 8 Luke Watson 7 Mpho Mbiyozo (C) 6 Paul Schoeman 5 Samora Fihlani 4 Darron Nell 3 Ross Geldenhuys 2 Boetie Britz 1 Leo Gqoboka
Replacements
16 Dane van der Westhuizen 17 Brendan Olivier 18 Stefan Willemse 19 Dalton Davis 20 Kayle van Zyl 21 Ntabeni Dukisa 22 Andile Jho
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